Saudi Arabia bans 47 video games after children’s deaths

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia says it’s banning a long list of popular video games after allegations surfaced that two children killed themselves after being encouraged to do so in an online game, reported Gulf News.

The Saudi General Commission for Audio-Visual Media said Monday it was banning 47 games, including Grand Theft Auto V, Assassins Creed 2 and Witcher, for unspecified violations of rules and regulations.

The ban was in response to the deaths of a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy who reportedly killed themselves after playing the so-called “Blue Whale” social media game, though the agency did not say what the connection was.

Also known as the Blue Whale Challenge, participants are said to be given a series of tasks to complete, capped with killing themselves at the end.